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Is it true that God uses people more when they’ve been through the fire of difficulties and despair?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Is it true that God uses people more when they’ve been through the fire of difficulties and despair? – T.F.
A: Consider the transformation in Simon Peter. He denied Christ. He was cowed by the crowd, shamed by a little maid, and took his place with the enemies of Christ. This was Peter who ...Read more

The God Squad: The Golden Rule is everywhere
The mission statement of the God Squad is that we know enough about how we are different and not enough yet about how we are all the same. I realize that I have been spending too much time writing about how we are different and not enough about how we are the same so let us begin our exaltation of sameness with the Golden Rule.
Q: You have ...Read more

What does it mean to surrender ourselves to the Lord?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: What does it mean to surrender ourselves to the Lord? I am a Christian but I’m still a person with ambition and goals to attain. I doubt that the Lord expects us to give up our dreams. – S.A.
A: The hymnist J.W. Van DeVenter, who wrote “I Surrender All,” was not always a minister. His first...Read more

What’s the key to redirecting the mind?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Entertainment about dying and going to Heaven and coming back and telling breathtaking stories are popular. It’s a distraction from reality. The other horror that has been popularized is that Hell will be an eternal happy hour – fantasies that my kids are believing because of cultural ...Read more

Bird flu is causing an egg shortage. A church is giving dozens to those in need
COLUMBIA, S.C. — “It’s an eggs-ellent day,” Pastor John Ptak said as an orderly line formed and a light drizzle fell outside the White Knoll, South Carolina, campus of Radius Church on Thursday morning.
People lined up early for free eggs, handed out by the dozen at the weekly food pantry operated by the church.
When they heard of the ...Read more

Can I mend my relationships with my parents?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: My parents didn’t have much time for us children but they did provide for us lavishly. I want to be successful like they have been – traveling the world, attending parties – but I can’t hide the fact that my siblings and I really don’t like being around them. I don’t want to just feed my...Read more

Is there a way to straighten out my tangled mind?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: My job was eliminated and I was given the chance to work in another position reporting to a person I hired and trained. I left the company pretty mad. This was unfair and unjust. I’m not happy with how I’m handling it, but I would have been more miserable if I had stayed under such humiliating ...Read more

Why do people always point to the suffering of Job as a reason for sickness and hard times?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Why do people always point to the suffering of Job as a reason for sickness and hard times? – J.P.
A: The book of Job does not set out to answer the problem of suffering but to proclaim a God so great that no answer is needed.
God’s proving ground comes when trouble hits and the evil motives ...Read more

Why is it so hard to straighten out the messes people create?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: We’ve become a nation overcome by fear and danger. Our cities are no longer safe. Why is it so hard to straighten out the messes people create? – F.W.
A: Lawlessness is not confined to the city streets. Most law enforcement officers say the most dangerous calls are those related to domestic ...Read more

Are mass deportations Christian? Florida leaders contemplate the question
Thomas Wenski, the archbishop of Miami, has been working with immigrants in Miami for going on 50 years.
His flock is worried. Although thousands of recent immigrants in his Catholic archdiocese are here legally, many know people who are not. Florida is home to some 1.2 million people who are in the country illegally.
Some of Wenski’s ...Read more

The God Squad: The way love heals us
In an interfaith column like The God Squad, it is easy to scoop up sectarian holidays and learn from their wisdom. Passover, Chanukah, Easter, Christmas, Diwali, Ramadan, Vesak all have much to teach us about the way sacred time intersects with secular time. However, the sacred calendar does not have ...Read more

Is it true that there will be no darkness in Heaven?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Is it true that there will be no darkness in Heaven? If so, why is darkness so bad? – D.B.
A: There will be no darkness in Heaven. The Bible says, “The city [of God] does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp … for there ...Read more

Isn’t our faith in God also a pledge of sorts?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: There is an attack on the Pledge of Allegiance in America and it has all but disappeared from the classroom. People say that pledging is deceitful because we can’t make promises we can’t keep. What a terrible thing to teach our children. Isn’t our faith in God also a pledge of sorts? – P.A. ...Read more

Religious groups suing to prevent ICE raids in houses of worship
Twenty-seven organizations representing Jewish and Christian-based denominations filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s administration, asking a judge to prevent immigration enforcement actions in houses of worship.
As part of the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, the Department of Homeland ...Read more

Why doesn’t God just come down and take over?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Why doesn’t God just come down and take over? People have already proven we are not equipped to handle the problems of being human. I’m ready for a new world order but not anything man can come up with! We’ve lost our sense of true democracy and liberty. – I.D.
A: The government in God’s ...Read more

Should athletes talk about religion and politics? What Americans said in new poll
Athletes have historically displayed their faith in different ways during competitions, and a majority of Americans who watch sports are supportive of it, a new poll found.
Fifty-six percent of sports fans in the U.S. said they are very or somewhat supportive of athletes speaking about religious faith or other spiritual issues, according to a ...Read more

What is one surprise about the Scripture?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I have to write a paper on the most surprising thing about the Bible. This assignment is beyond my creative thinking. I’m sure there are many different ways to think about this, but what is one surprise about the Scripture? – S.S.
A: One of the most thrilling things about studying the Bible is ...Read more
Amid sweeping immigration crackdown, Minnesota churches scrambling to respond
Church leaders are scrambling to respond as the Trump administration makes sweeping changes in immigration policy, ranging from freezing federal funds for refugee resettlement to revoking a policy prohibiting the arrest of undocumented immigrants in Christian houses of worship.
“This is a moment for us to recommit to the stranger among us ...Read more
Georgia-based Baptist group joins lawsuit to keep ICE out of churches
ATLANTA — A network of Baptist churches headquartered in Georgia is suing the Department of Homeland Security over its decision to scrap a Biden-era policy that limited federal immigration arrests near so-called “sensitive locations,” such as churches, schools and hospitals.
The Decatur-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s lawsuit ...Read more

How can I reconcile with my past attitude towards my deceased parents?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I have been very critical of my parents. I never thought they made good decisions concerning us children and I felt that they always had their best interest at heart – not ours. I’ve now become a father and am ashamed to say how wrong I’ve been all these years. Sadly, my parents are both gone ...Read more
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